Fantasy Hockey Week 4, Hat Trick Anyone?

October 22, 2010 by Kurt Turner

As we enter week four there has been only two hat tricks so far this season. Derek Stepan scored a hat trick in his very first NHL game and Anthony Stewart turned the trick against Anaheim last week. The hat trick can be exciting but the real treat for a hockey fan is the Gordie Howe Hat Trick, which is when a player records a goal, assist and a fight. Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Versteeg and Milan Lucic are the three players to treat the fans so far this season and teams are 3-0 when a player records a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. As we approach Halloween be sure to ask your favorite hockey player “Trick or Treat?”

Two Games: Boston, Detroit, Nashville, San Jose, St. Louis and Tampa Bay

One Game: Vancouver

When it comes to dressing your players for the upcoming week, especially your goalies, it is important to know which team is on a long road trip and which team is enjoying an extended period at home. Listed below are the teams that play all their games at home or on the road (minimum two games) and their home/road records up to October 21, 2010:

If you participate in any type of head-to-head hockey pool then you are likely dressing a lineup for each scoring period, which usually ends on Sunday. As the week comes to an end and you find yourself in a close battle for those wins you want as many players as possible playing for you. Here are the teams that play on Sunday (record for Sunday games):

No games this Sunday

When you are deciding which goalie to dress you need to look at the NHL schedule to see if your goalie's team will play in a back-to-back game that week. Most coaches will not dress the same goalie in back-to-back games so that is something to consider when you are thinking about which goalie to dress for the week. Here are the teams that play in back-to-back games this week (record of second game of back-to-back):

Knowing which team is on a hot streak or cold streak will help in making your lineup decisions, for example you definitely want to dress a goalie from teams that are on a hot streak. Here are the top five and bottom five teams up to October 21, 2010:

Most elite stars are consistent scorers, but there are several players who are very streaky so keep an eye on their stats so that you can dress them while they are on a hot streak. Here are the top five scorers up to October 21, 2010 for the past 7 and 14 days:

About Kurt Turner

Kurt's fantasy advice is featured on USA Today Sports, Bleacher Reports, SiriusXM and Fox Sports. He is the owner of FantasyKnuckleheads.com and has been butchering topics here for over 15 years. Follow him on Twitter